Wowsers - I have a music degree - and haven't played proper music since my days at UVic in the Wind Symphony. It's embarassing to say but... that was April 2005. It's been two years since i've legitimately had any claimed to being a Euphonium (small tuba) player..... nix a quick summer at band camp but I mainly taught kids how to play and didn't do anything very prolific myself.... so I blew the dust out of a borrowed horn and rehearsed with the City of Coventry Brass Band :)
It was awesome :-) I got to play a piece by Gustav Holst 1st suite in Eb!! Top notch tune and then the rest of the evening was sight reading eighth note and sixteenth note runs. Couldn't believe how fast pace brass band music is. I guess there's no flutes and clarinets to steal the spot light!!
Somehow a rumour went around the group before I came that I had played with the Canadian Brass... lol they're like the wayne gretsky of band geeks. So when I got there everyone was very interested in hearing me play... the worst part was I didn't have a mouthpiece and they were all flabergasted that a brass player doesn't bring his mouthpieces with him.... I guess I never was that hard core about mouth pieces to begin with lol.
The groups getting ready to record a CD in July so that should be a lot of fun!! and now I have regular drinking budds for a thursday night!!!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Steve,
Gosh it seems so long since I have written you anything. I'm glad to hear you are having so much fun traveling. I know exactly how you feel in terms of the playing aspect. I sometimes have to sit down after school and play through some pieces so I don't forget how to be a pianist. I'm so used to the simple vocal warm ups and no brainer piano parts. And then there is the singing. I'm always singing something for my music classes or choir classes. I would love to be part of choir where I get to sing for myself.
Anywho, I'm glad to hear you are doing well. I can't believe that there are only 5 more weeks of school left! This weekend is grad weekend. I just came back from seeing the grads at their dinner and dance at the ski hill and then tomorrow is convocation or as they call it the "leaving" ceremony followed by family parties at each of the grads' houses. Each family holds a party for their grad and people come and visit and then go to other grads' houses. Only in Kimberley!
I think that back in our UVSMEA days we should have had a segment in the newsletter "you know you're a band geek when..." i.e. "You know you're a Band geek when you completely understand how those Europeans must have felt thinking they had a member of Canadian Brass in their midst." Too funny. Did you show them the pics of a Tuba Christmas?
Post a Comment